Overwatch
Overwatch is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released in May 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game is highly stylized team-based shooter set on a near-future Earth. Every match is an intense multiplayer showdown pitting a diverse cast of heroes, mercenaries, scientists, adventurers, and oddities against each other in an epic, globe-spanning conflict. __TOC__ Introduction Overview Overwatch is Blizzard's fourth major franchise in nearly two decades, after ''Warcraft'', ''Diablo'', and ''Starcraft''. The idea of Overwatch was born following the cancellation of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Titan in 2014 after seven years of development. A portion of the Titan team brought forth the concept of Overwatch based on the success of team-based first-person shooters and the growing popularity of multiplayer online battle arenas, along with the design aesthetic inspiration from Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, which resulted in a hero-based shooter that emphasized teamwork. Some elements of Overwatch borrow assets and concepts from the canceled Titan project. Overwatch was unveiled at BlizzCon 2014 in a fully playable state. Its closed beta began on October 27, 2015 and ended on April 25, 2016, in-between it went down temporarily from December 10, 2015 to February 9, 2016. Its open beta began on May 2, 2016 for pre-purchase buyers, and May 4, 2016 for anyone and ended on May 10, 2016, even though it was supposed to end on May 9, 2016. The open beta drew in more than 9.7 million players and became widely anticipated. The release of the game was promoted with short animated videos to introduce the game's narrative and each of its characters. Gameplay Overwatch features team-based combat matches between two opposing teams of six players each. Players choose one of a wide range of hero characters, each with their own unique abilities and role classes. During the pre-game setup, players on a team will be given advice from the game if their team is unbalanced, such as if they are lacking heroes of a role, encouraging players to switch to other heroes before the match begins and balance the starting team. Within a match, players can switch between characters in-game by returning to their spawn room, either by physically returning or following death, which is encouraged by the game's overall design, which is strike for finding the best combination to achieve objectives. Within the time when a match is happening, if the player quit by any reason which is not originated from the server, this incident will be counted as leaving mid-game and may invoke the Leaver Penalty. There is a meter, namely "On-fire Meter", tracks how many in-game "fire" points a player has scored over time, which are rewarded for killing or assisting in killing, providing team defense or healing, and scoring objective points. When a certain threshold is reached, the player character's icon will be "on fire", representing that that character is a threat to the enemy team, but otherwise does not directly affect gameplay. This meter will slowly drop if the player does not continue to score "fire" points. At the conclusion of each match, the game compares among best moments from all players in that game and replays for all players the best one from a specific player as the "Play of the Game". Up to four individual achievements for four players on both teams are then highlighted and players are given the option to select one to promote. After that, the experience which the player gained over the course of the game is displayed. In a competitive game, the gained Competitive Points and skill rating change will also be shown. Heroes The heroes of Overwatch each bring their own unique powers and game-changing ultimate abilities into battle. Along with their own roles on the battlefield, their potential is amplified when they assemble into a formidable team. The four main roles include: offense heroes with their high speed and attack, always on the front line to deliver decisive blows; defense characters meant to form choke points for enemies and guard a location; tank characters that have a large amount of armor and hit points to withstand enemy attacks and draw fire away from teammates and support characters that provide buffs and debuffs for their allies and enemies respectively. Each hero has a primary ability and other additional abilities that can be evoked at any time, some requiring a brief cooldown period before they can be used again. These abilities are vary for each hero, it is ranged from dealing damage, healing teammates, building turrets, erecting shields, assisting movements and escape, etc. Some heroes have two types of weapons, and some heroes have secondary fire in addition to their primary one. Some heroes also have a passive ability to assist and cater to their play style. Different from other team-based games, these abilities cannot be modified, upgraded or replaced. Furthermore, each player slowly builds up a meter towards the character's "ultimate" ability's evoking; this meter builds up slowly over time but can build up faster by defeating opponents or performing other beneficial tasks for their team, such as healing or protect the team from incoming attack. Once ready, the player can use this ability at any time. The ultimate ability which may last for a few seconds while releasing effect(s) on themselves and/or other players; or it may be a single powerful action, such as a relentless powerful attack or an area resurrection. After which the ultimate meter will deplete immediately, and the player will not gain any ultimate meter when the ultimate ability is in effect. Opposing players will be alerted to the use of this ultimate ability by an exclamation from the character (often in the character's native language), giving opposing players a brief moment to try to take cover or respond appropriately. Learning to utilize abilities in concert with teammates is the key to victory. Every hero plays differently, and mastering their abilities is the key to unlocking their potential. Together with the limitless number of combinations of skill and ability between heroes can be used to easily archive the objectives. If the team is unbalanced or the combination provides a negative result, the game encourage players to change heroes, differentiating itself from other first person shooter games. Team-Based Objectives In Overwatch, teams will compete in 6 vs. 6 objective-based battles set across the world in one of four types of maps: Assault, Escort, Hybrid, and Control. Every map will ask the players on the same team to work together to achieve objectives, from capturing or defending the control point to pushing or stopping the payload. Every battlefield is iconic and built to allow each character’s signature abilities to shine. Fights shift from streets to rooftops to open skies as teams play off of each other's abilities, clashing over dynamic mission objectives. That means the same combination of heroes will perform differently on different maps. Players are encourage to get familiar with the map they play, and how their heroes will fulfill their roles effectively on that map. The location will be across the planet from protecting the secrets of the mysterious Temple of Anubis, to safely escorting an EMP device through King's Row. Each of the map is tied to the lore of the game; each of the location is reflected in comics, animated series, or hero's bio. The reactions and exchanged conversations of each heroes are also vary and unique on each map. Player Progression Progression in Overwatch is built around earning experience and leveling up, showing how long the player has been playing the game. Players gain experience by completing games in Quick Play, Play vs. AI, Practice vs. AI, Competitive Play, and Weekly Brawl. By winning Competitive Play matches, players can also receive Competitive Points. With each level gained, the player shall receive a Loot Box. Loot Boxes contain a random selection of items that can be used to customize the looks of heroes, including Skins, Emotes, Victory Poses, Voice Lines, Sprays, Highlight Intros, and Player Icons. In addition to collecting these items from Loot Boxes, players can also unlock them by spending a new in-game currency called credits. There are also special cosmetic items which only can be unlocked by spending Competitive Points. Players can use Hero Gallery to review, equip and unlock any item chosen. Story Over thirty years ago, the Omnic Crisis, a war between humans and omnics, began when the robots launched a global-scale military campaign against all humanity. The war brought humans down to their knees, as no country can stand against the force of the growing omnic army. During the crisis, the United Nations created an international task force, consisting of Jack Morrison, Gabriel Reyes, Ana Amari, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Torbjörn Lindholm, and Liao, under the name Overwatch. This strike team, which is small and nimble but powerful enough to deal devastating blows to the omnics, provided the chances and momentum for human to fight back. In the end, the members of Overwatch succeeded in ending the Omnic Crisis and became historical heroes. After the Omnic Crisis, Overwatch experienced a tremendous rise in prominence. New funding and resources gave the now-public organization far-reaching global influence. As the group grew, they made global stability their mission. More and more prominent and expert people with different backgrounds, ethnicities, professions, and ideals joined the Overwatch, including Dr. Angela Ziegler, Winston, Lena Oxton, Jesse McCree, Genji Shimada, Mei-Ling Zhou, and more. For decades, they served as a global peacekeeping force and an engine for innovation, making advances in scientific fields as varied as space exploration, environmental protection, and medical research. But their glory came to pass, as Overwatch suffered heavy criticism for alleged criminal acts. Controversial missions stoked public outrage, forcing some of the organization’s most famous and celebrated agents to retire in disgrace. As time passed, it became harder to shrug off. Two decades after the end of the Omnic Crisis, Overwatch experienced a heavy blow by a series of allegations: negligence resulting in high-profile mission failures; corruption and mismanagement; weapons proliferation; human rights abuses; and more when a top secret division called "Blackwatch" came to public's knowledge. A special UN committee launched a lengthy and highly secretive investigation into the claims and this was meant to be the dismantling of Overwatch. But before the event could happen, Overwatch's Swiss headquarters was destroyed in an apparent accident, along with the lost of its two leaders: Strike-Commander Jack Morrison and Blackwatch Leader Gabriel Reyes. Although the United Nations claimed it was an accident, the explosion at the headquarters was revealed to be the result of an internal clash between Morrison and Reyes. Nonetheless, the UN shut down all of Overwatch's operations and put forward the Petras Act, which deems all Overwatch activity is illegal and punishable by prosecution. After Overwatch separated, the world continued to change. Tensions between humans and omnics continued to grow, particularly after the assassination of the omnic spiritual leader Tekhartha Mondatta by a Talon agent named Widowmaker, which may have lead to the Second Omnic Crisis. Local political leaders have accused certain corporations of using covert operatives to force government officials into accepting exploitative deals and going as far as hiring mercenaries. Some notable cases of this are the Vishkar Corporation destroying Calado Tower and its surrounding favela to gain absolute control of Rio de Janeiro, and Hyde Global hiring two international criminals, known as Jamison Fawkes and Mako Rutledge, to swindle insurance. Meanwhile, crime organizations maintained operating with impunity, without any mean to be covert or restraining, such as Talon and the Deadlock Gang. Despite all this, multiple Overwatch agents still travel around the world to try continuing their acts of helping the innocent and delivering justice. Heroism that wasn't from former members of the organization also started to rise. A couple of examples are musician Lúcio Correia dos Santos used his well-known music to inspire and lead the favela's citizens against the Vishkar Corporation and their exploitative use of land and labor force in Rio de Janeiro; and Hana Song becoming a celebrity over her heroic act of protecting her country, South Korea by using her gamer skill against a colossal invading Omnic. Recently, there have been numerous attacks on Overwatch's bases and exhibition. An attack on Watchpoint: Grand Mesa by an individual named Soldier: 76 resulted in the loss of the Heavy Pulse Rifle and several valuable prototypes of technology. After an infiltration of Talon, led by Reaper, into Watchpoint: Gibraltar in order to steal the information about Overwatch's former members, Winston decided to initiate Overwatch reactivation in defiance of the Petras Act. Game Modes, Menus and Options :Note: Some information here is extracted from the PC version, and may not applied for the console version. : On the upper right corner of the HUD, the player's name, the equipped Player Icon and their level are always displayed. Hovering over the name also show the BattleTag. If the player is in the group, the rest of the group and their Play Icona will appear there. There is a button to access the Social Menu as a reminder of where to look for a group. Main Menu After successfully logging in from the BattleNet client application and gaining access into the game, the player will be provided the game main menu with these modes and options: * Highlights (hidden options): Displays five recent Highlights as well as Play of the Games. This option will not be visible after logging into the game, for after logging out, all data will be cleared from the Highlights menu. * Play: Accesses all game modes. This Menu will be locked if player is in a group and is not a group leader. After clicking into any of these game modes, the game will start to search for match. If player turns Skirmish on, they will go to a Skirmish; otherwise, there is an option to return to the main menu when waiting. ** Quick Play: "Jump into a game against other players of your skill level." ** Arcade: "New game mode! New rules! New maps! Enter the Arcade." *** After clicking on this mode, you will be prompted to choose between five game modes: 1v1 Mystery Duel, 3v3 Elimination, 6v6 All Brawls!, 6v6 Mystery Heroes, and 6v6 No Limit. *** You also can right-click to read the rules, and info. ** Competitive Play: "Compete against other players and work your way up the ranks." *** You also can right-click to read the rules, info, reward, tier legend and leaderboard. ** Play vs. AI: "Hone your skills again a team of AI-controlled heroes." *** After clicking on this mode, you will be prompted to choose between three difficulties: Easy, Medium or Hard. ** Custom Game: "Change the rules and play a game with your friend or AI." * Training: Accesses all training modes, which is recommended for new players. This Menu will be locked if the player is in a Group. After clicking into any of these game modes, the game will allow the player to access the mode immediately, except Practice vs. AI, which will requires time to look for match. ** Tutorial: "Learn the basics of Overwatch." ** Practice Range: "Practice using your weapons and abilities." ** Practice vs. AI: "Hone your skill by playing against AI-controlled heroes." *** This mode is the same with Easy-difficulty Play vs. AI. * Hero Gallery: Accesses the Hero Gallery, either to review cosmetic items, Credits, Competitive Points, or to unlock items. * Loot Box: Accesses unchecked Loot Boxes. The number of unopened Loot Box is shown next to the menu. You can also quickly review your Credits by accessing this menu. * Social: Accesses the Social menu, in order to review friends, your current groups, teams, enemy teams, friend invitations and recent players. The number of friend who are in Overwatch is shown next to the menu. * Career Profile: Accesses the Career Profile menu, to review your own statistic, Achievements, and change Player Icon. * Options: Accesses the Options menu, including Video, Sound, Controls, Gameplay, and Social option. * Exit Game: Logs out of the game and returns to the BattleNet client application. Escape Menu Players can access the Pause menu almost anytime in game. It will show the menus for Social, Career Profile, Options and Credits. If there is any unopened Loot Box, there will be an option to go directly to Loot Box menu. If the player is in the middle of a match, there will be an option to quit that current match. If the player is in the room creator on Custom Game, there will be an option to return to the Lobby. There will also be another option to exit the game completely. Tab Menu Holding Tab when the game is in the initial Hero selection phase will show the names and levels of members on the enemy team, but their heroes will be hidden. Holding Tab while a match is in progress will lead the player to the Tab menu. The names and levels of all players will be shown. If the games has not yet started or the two teams has not met each other, the enemy heroes will be hidden. The portrait of the heroes who are on fire will have the flame-burning effect. There will be a blue check mark under allies' hero portrait to indicate that their ultimate is ready to use. On the lower side, the scoreboard statistics will be shown; general category on the left and individual category on the right. The statistics will not updated until the doors in the Attacker's spawn room open. Released Editions and Pricing Overwatch has been released in 3 editions: OverwatchTM, OverwatchTM Origins Edition and Origins EditionOverwatchTM Collector's Edition (a limited edition). Also, any pre-purchase buyers will get a bonus, the Noire skin for Widowmaker. Some retail stores also offer the Noire Skin for Widowmaker for after-release buyers. ''''The OverwatchTM digital edition is exclusive for PC, containing base game only. Meanwhile, console players have to get the Origins Edition or the Collector's Edition. The Origins Edition includes Origins-exclusive skins and Overwatch-related bonuses in other Blizzard games. Collector's Edition is composed of Origins Edition along with a 28cm statue of Soldier: 76, the Overwatch Visual Source Book, the Overwatch Soundtrack and battlefield postcards. After purchasing the digital edition of Overwatch on PC, player is still able to upgrade their version to the Origin Edition by buying the digital Origin Edition. Instead of charging full Origin Edition price, the players will require to pay only the difference amount in price between two versions, and their game will be automatically upgraded after. Updates and Patches ''Overwatch is an online multiplayer game which has been promised to be updated frequently, either to bring more gameplay elements, more heroes to the roster, balance changes or to fix unintended issues. Blizzard has said that all Overwatch content released in future updates will be available free, with the only additional cost to players through optional micro-transactions to earn additional cosmetic rewards. Media Images ;Cinematic shots OW290 Winston.jpg|Winston OW550 Reaper.jpg|Reaper OW580 Widowmaker.jpg|Widowmaker OW780 Tracer.jpg|Tracer OW840 Tracer.jpg OW070 Final.jpg OW100 Final.jpg OW110 Final.jpg Videos Overwatch Gameplay Trailer - BlizzCon 2015 Overwatch Cinematic Trailer Overwatch Theatrical Teaser "We Are Overwatch" Overwatch Cinematic Teaser "Are You With Us?" Overwatch Cinematics Trailer Overwatch Credits Trivia * Anytime in the game on PC version, no matter what players are in game or in Hero Gallery, clicking Alt + Z will remove all the head-up display and menu; clicking Ctrl + Shift + C will remove the chat box. * The narrator for every game is Athena, an artificial intelligence companion in the game story. *The animated shorts of Overwatch on the PlayOverwatch channel don't show many human deaths, but more omnic deaths, such as Alive, Dragons and The Last Bastion. As in The Last Bastion, when an explosion occurs in a field of soldiers and Crusaders no one seems to perish. Patch changes * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * }} References Category:Overwatch Category:Blizzard games de:Overwatch es:Overwatch fr:Overwatch ja:ゲーム概要 ko:오버워치 pl:Overwatch ru:Overwatch zh:鬥陣特攻